BuzzFeed Adds Fake News Beat

Debunking fake, viral stories.

BuzzFeed has decided to lend a hand to the gullible. According to First Draft News, the site is adding a beat dedicated to debunking fake news stories that have gone viral.

Leading the beat is BuzzFeed Canada editor Craig Silverman. Scott Lamb, BuzzFeed’s head of international growth, wrote in a memo that Silverman will be “bringing his deep expertise at debunking hoaxes to our reporting arsenal … and acting as a resource for all BuzzFeed editions, as well as a watchdog on behalf of our readers worldwide.”

Silverman explained that not every single dumb, fake story needs to be debunked. It’s the biggest fish in the sea that need to be reined in.

“If something is very small then I don’t think there’s an argument to debunk that,” he told First Draft News. “Arguably you’re giving more attention and traffic to a fake news site with the debunk [of a story that isn’t spreading] than it would get otherwise.”